Spring Movements and Spawning Habitat of Sauger (Stizostedion canadense) in a Small Midwestern USA Reservoir

Abstract

ABSTRACT We conducted a biotelemetry study to assess spring movements and locate spawning areas of sauger (Stizostedion canadense) in a small (2800 ha.) Kansas reservoir lacking large river inflow. Twenty adult sauger were implanted with ultrasonic tags and tracked in Melvern Lake from February to June 1993. Movements, calculated as minimum displacement from 254 fish fixes, were greatest in March (P<0.003) prior to the spawn, ranging to 2.8 km/d. Male sauger inhabited deeper water than females (P=0.04). Multiple regression analysis revealed that water column depth utilized by sauger was a function of barometric pressure and reservoir inflow/discharge. Tagged sauger inhabited different lake regions throughout the study period (P<0.001), moving from mid-lower lake in February to down-lake north shores for the April spawn and dispersing thereafter. In April, at water temperatures of approximately 8 C, sauger congregated in mainstem shoals, where they apparently spawned in shallow (1–2 m) water over cobble, pebble, and clay-silt substrates.